Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

Source: Apple Press - Press Releases - January 31, 2017
iPhone, Services, Mac and Apple Watch Set All-Time Records
CUPERTINO, California — January 31, 2017 — Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2017 first quarter ended December 31, 2016. The Company posted all-time record quarterly revenue of $78.4 billion and all-time record quarterly earnings per diluted share of $3.36. These results compare to revenue of $75.9 billion and earnings per diluted share of $3.28 in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 64 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

“We’re thrilled to report that our holiday quarter results generated Apple’s highest quarterly revenue ever, and broke multiple records along the way. We sold more iPhones than ever before and set all-time revenue records for iPhone, Services, Mac and Apple Watch,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Revenue from Services grew strongly over last year, led by record customer activity on the App Store, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.”

“Our outstanding business performance resulted in a new all-time record for earnings per share, and over $27 billion in operating cash flow,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “We returned nearly $15 billion to investors through share repurchases and dividends during the quarter, bringing cumulative payments through our capital return program to over $200 billion.”

Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2017 second quarter:

  • revenue between $51.5 billion and $53.5 billion
  • gross margin between 38 percent and 39 percent
  • operating expenses between $6.5 billion and $6.6 billion
  • other income/(expense) of $400 million
  • tax rate of 26 percent

Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.57 per share of the Company’s common stock.  The dividend is payable on February 16, 2017 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 13, 2017.

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q1 2017 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PST on January 31, 2017 at www.apple.com/investor/earnings-call/. This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.

Friday, January 27, 2017

FY 17 First Quarter Results Conference Call

Source: Apple Press - Press Releases - January 27, 2017


WHAT: Apple® FY 17 First Quarter Results Conference Call

WHERE: Via conference call. The dial-in numbers for press are (877) 406-0010 (toll-free) or (913) 312-0414. Please enter confirmation code 373736.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 31, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. EST

REBROADCAST: The conference call will be available as a continuous rebroadcast beginning Tuesday, January 31, at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST, through Tuesday, February 14, at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST. The dial-in numbers for the rebroadcast are  (888) 203-1112 (toll-free) or (719) 457-0820. Please enter confirmation code 3378275.

WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 17 First Quarter Results Conference Call using Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PST on January 31, 2017, at www.apple.com/investor/earnings-call/ and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter. Live audio streaming requires an iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® with Safari® on iOS 7.0 or later, a Mac® with Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X® v10.8.5 or later, or a PC with Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.

This recording is the property of Apple and protected by US copyright law and international treaties. Any reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited without prior written approval from Apple. Please contact Apple Public Relations or Investor Relations with any questions.

After this quarter, Apple will no longer issue this media alert prior to the earnings call. The latest Information for investors is available at investor.apple.com. Members of the media with questions may contact the Apple Media Helpline at media.help@apple.com or (408) 974-2042.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

GarageBand and Logic Pro X Music Apps Get Major Updates

Source: Apple Press - Press Releases - January 18, 2017
Powerful New Features Support Music Makers from Enthusiasts to Pros
CUPERTINO, California — January 18, 2017 — Apple® today announced major updates to its music creation apps with exciting new features for music makers of all levels on iPhone®, iPad® and Mac®. GarageBand® for iOS 2.2 now features the powerful creative synthesizer Alchemy and a new sound browser that makes searching through instruments and patches easier than ever. Logic Pro™ X 10.3 becomes an even more powerful tool for pros with a modern interface, new features for professional audio production as well as support for the revolutionary Touch Bar™ on the new MacBook Pro®, putting intuitive, context-sensitive controls right at users’ fingertips. 

Logic Pro X users can also remotely add new tracks to their Logic® sessions from their iPhone or iPad when they’re away from their Mac. With a new share option, users can upload a special GarageBand-compatible version of a Logic project to iCloud®, which they can then open on their iOS devices and add new recordings whenever inspiration strikes. When the project is saved back to iCloud, any newly added tracks will automatically appear in the original Logic project the next time it’s opened on a Mac. 

“Music has always been part of Apple’s DNA, and we are excited to deliver yet another fun and powerful update to our music creation apps, GarageBand for iOS and Logic Pro X,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. “These updates bring a wide range of new and highly requested features to both hobbyists and the community of pro musicians and audio engineers who rely on our software and hardware to create amazing music.”

“Logic Pro X is an indispensable part of the creative process for me and the artists I work with. I’m thrilled to see all the new professional features that have been added,” said Grammy- and Academy Award-winning producer and composer Paul Epworth. “As a huge fan of the Alchemy synthesizer, I love that I can grab my iPhone or iPad and use GarageBand to keep coming up with new tracks for my Logic sessions when I’m traveling and away from my studio.”

GarageBand for iOS
GarageBand for iOS brings even more sophisticated music creation options to iPhone and iPad, while still remaining fun and easy to use. It features a redesigned sound browser that makes it faster than ever to explore Touch Instruments® and quickly find the exact sounds you’re looking for. 

Alchemy, one of the world’s most innovative modern synthesizers and a favorite of Logic Pro users, comes to iOS and includes a rich collection of over 150 Apple-designed patches from a wide variety of genres, including EDM, Hip Hop, Indie, Rock, Pop and more. And with Alchemy’s Transform Pad, users can morph between eight sonic snapshots in real-time, to create expressive synth performances. 

Recording music in GarageBand for iOS also gets easier with Multi-Take Recording, giving users multiple passes to capture their best performance and the ability to audition and switch between their favorite takes. 

The release also features a redesigned Audio Recorder that adds fun, one-tap vocal effects and provides users with even more sophisticated studio effects like pitch correction, distortion and delay. Seasoned users looking for even more control over their mixes can use a new collection of advanced audio processing tools, including an interactive graphic Visual EQ and the ability to use third-party Audio Unit plug-in effects for expandable, creative sound design.

Logic Pro X
Logic Pro X includes advanced new features that make Logic an even stronger tool for audio production, giving musicians and audio engineers even more control over editing and mixing their music. The latest release features a new modern design that improves legibility in a variety of working environments.

Logic Pro X also adds support for the revolutionary new Touch Bar on MacBook Pro, providing the ability to view and navigate your project in a timeline overview, along with convenient access to volume and Smart Controls for any selected track. New performance controls let you play and record software instruments with the Touch Bar using a piano keyboard that can also be customized to a variety of musical scales, or by tapping drum pads to create beats. Assignable key command buttons let you customize the Touch Bar controls to keep your favorite keyboard shortcuts available when you need them. 

Track Alternatives let users create and switch between different playlists of regions and edits on any track. This feature makes it easier to experiment with various creative ideas or evaluate different versions of a track as it evolves. Selection-based Processing allows users to apply any combination of Logic or third-party effect plug-ins onto any selection of one or multiple audio regions. It is useful for optimizing sound quality and a great tool for creative sound design.

Logic Pro X becomes more powerful for professional mixing, with a 64-bit summing engine, 192 additional busses and true stereo panning, providing discrete control of stereo signals.

Pricing and Availability 
The GarageBand for iOS update, available today, is free for all existing users and with all new iOS devices. Customers with older, non-qualifying devices can purchase the app for $4.99 (US) on the App Store®. For more information about GarageBand for iOS, visit: www.apple.com/ios/garageband.

The Logic Pro X update, available today, is free for all existing users, and available on the Mac App Store for $199.99 (US) for all new customers. For more information about Logic Pro X, visit: www.apple.com/logic-pro.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

App Store Shatters Records on New Year’s Day

Source: Apple Press - Press Releases - January 05, 2017

  • $240 Million in Customer Purchases Makes Jan. 1, 2017 the App Store’s Busiest Day Ever
  • App Developers Earned $20 Billion in 2016 — Up 40% from 2015

CUPERTINO, California — January 5, 2017 — Apple® today announced that the App Store® welcomed 2017 with its busiest single day ever on New Year’s Day, capping a record-breaking holiday season and a year of unprecedented developer earnings and breakout app hits. In 2016 alone, developers earned over $20 billion, up over 40 percent from 2015. Since the App Store launched in 2008, developers have earned over $60 billion, creating amazing app experiences for App Store customers across iPhone®, iPad®, Apple Watch®, Apple TV® and Mac®. Those efforts helped kick off 2017 with a remarkable start, making New Year’s Day the highest single day ever for the App Store with nearly $240 million in purchases. 

“2016 was a record-shattering year for the App Store, generating $20 billion for developers, and 2017 is off to a great start with Jan. 1 as the single biggest day ever on the App Store,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We want to thank our entire developer community for the many innovative apps they have created — which together with our products — help to truly enrich people’s lives.”

Customers broke all-time records this holiday season with purchases from the App Store topping $3 billion in December. In the same month, Nintendo’s Super Mario Run made history with more than 40 million downloads in just four days after its release, and was the most downloaded app globally on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 

Super Mario Run is also among last year’s top 10 most downloaded apps worldwide, with Pokémon Go taking the top spot. Pokémon Go, a beloved game from Niantic, quickly became a cultural phenomenon in mid-2016. Prisma, Reigns, Procreate, Lumino City, Sweat With Kayla and djay Pro, from some of Apple's independent developers, were among the most successful apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch and Mac, respectively. The App Store offers 2.2 million apps in total, up over 20 percent from last year. 

With the App Store available in 155 countries, Apple’s customers have access to millions of apps to make their lives easier, enrich their passions and connect with people from all around the world. The App Store’s top-grossing markets include the US, China, Japan and the UK, with China experiencing record year-over-year growth at an incredible 90 percent. The global impact of the App Store was captured this past year with two campaigns — Apps for Earth and Games for (RED). In partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and (RED), customers were empowered to make a difference, helping to protect life on our planet and join the fight against AIDS. The custom content created by each campaign’s participating developers helped raise over $17 million in total for the two organizations. 

With the introduction of iMessage® apps and SiriKit in iOS 10, developers created exciting new types of app experiences. iPhone and iPad customers now have access to over 21,000 iMessage apps to send stickers and easily collaborate with friends, and for the first time ever, users can ask Siri® to book rides, make payments, return a call and more.

Since subscriptions became available across all 25 app categories this fall, including Games and Kids, customers can subscribe to their favorite services from over 20,000 apps, with Netflix, HBO Now, Line, Tinder and MLB.com At Bat among last year’s most popular. iPhone and iPad customers grew the App Store’s subscription billings significantly in 2016, to $2.7 billion, up 74 percent from 2015. 

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.